It’s ironic that Center Theater Group is about to open up a new production of “The Music Man” at moment when the con men in our culture are not in any way lovable. Con men are not funny. Not when so many people are so easily conned, and it ends up hurting everyone.
Prop. 39, which is about Voter ID, is just another way to try and keep people from the polls. Like all claims of voter fraud, it’s a solution to a problem that simply does not exist.
The only reason we have the current con man in the White House is that one-third of the country did not bother to vote in the last Presidential election.
Even in a state like California, where there is every opportunity to register to vote, a great turnout is rarely higher than 50% of the eligible voters.
From the Los Angeles Times, “Voter ID laws shut eligible voters out of the democratic process and are particularly hard-hitting for young voters, low-income citizens, voters of color, voters with disabilities and elderly adults who no longer drive. For example, 35% (more than 1 million) of Californians ages 18-24 do not have a license at all! These numbers are staggering.”
My understanding of why people don’t vote is that they are too intimidated to ask how. Years ago, I had the experience of helping a friend get a library card. She was raised in a family so disdainful of books and education, she didn’t even know that she could get one. She did not even know where to start. When the librarian explained that she could check out any of the materials they had, she was amazed.
Your government is yours, but you have to show up and participate. That means voting. And encouraging everyone you know to do so as well.
No on Prop. 39.
Judith Martin-Straw
